Oyo council polls stalled by court case, says Attorney-General

The Oyo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ojo Mutalubi Adebayo, has said legal, rather than political considerations, was responsible for the delay in the conduct of local government polls.

Speaking with reporters yesterday in Ibadan, the state capital, Adebayo said the legal constraints hindering the constitution of the State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) have put the conduct of council polls on hold until a court rules on the matter.

He said: “In 2007, former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala unconstitutionally sacked OYSIEC members appointed by his former boss, former Governor Rashidi Ladoja and replaced them with his protégées.

“Chief Oyemomilara Okunola and others appointed by Ladoja, who were sacked by Alao-Akala, filed a suit at the High Court, Ibadan, challenging their unlawful removal, because the constitution guaranteed them a fixed term of five years from 2003 to 2008.

“The Oyo State High Court President then, Justice P.O.Ige, who is now at the Court of Appeal, gave judgement in favour of Ladoja’s appointees . The court and held that they were illegally sacked and declared their sack null and void. It ordered that their entitlements up to 2008 be paid.”

The Attorney-General said OYSIEC members appointed by Alao-Akala in 2007 also went to court in 2011 to challenge their removal by Governor Abiola Ajimobi,

He said the High Court, presided over by Justice M.O. Bolaji-Yussuff, ruled in favour of tAlao-Akala’s men and ordered the state to pay them entitlements.

The Attorney-General said: “The state government is confronted with two sets of judgments from the StateHigh Court, with each of them validating the appointment of the claimants.

“It will amount to contempt of court if the state government urges the House of Assembly to proceed with the screening and clearance of the nominees forwarded to it for OYSIEC in view of the court judgments.

“The state government chose the path of honour and constitutionalism by subjecting the latter judgment to the Court of Appeal for determination, while the state also settled all the entitlements of the OYSIEC men from 2003 to 2008.”

He said the appeal on the case is yet to be heard by the Court of Appeal, Ibadan.